Youth Participation in the 45th General Assembly of the OAS

Washington, D.C., United States, May 20 2015 – Young people of the Americas will have a space to participate in the 45th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). In this opportunity, youth will provide their contributions and recommendations regarding the pillars of the OAS: democracy, human rights, security, development and also their vision of the future of the OAS.

One of the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) main objectives is to involve youth in the processes of the OAS. Therefore, in the framework of every General Assembly, YABT organizes a Youth Dialogue in order to generate an effective channel for the voice of youth. Through this channel young people of the Americas are heard and taken into account by Member States when they are defining their policies.

In this occasion, YABT will support youth participation by enabling a digital communication platform where two exchange sessions will be conducted as well as a virtual consultation.

These virtual sessions and consultation aim to compile the recommendations and actions that young people propose on the theme of the 45th General Assembly: “The Present and Future of the OAS” as well as the pillars of the Organization. The process will focus on the identification of mechanisms and specific tools for youth participation in the OAS’s processes. Every input will be compiled into a report to be presented to the Heads of Delegations of the Assembly to be held next month in Washington, D.C.

Note that these activities are part of the follow-up process of the IV Young Americas Forum, an ongoing process that in the last 9 months has gathers 6,000 contributions from young people across the hemisphere through the various channels that YABT generates: local, national and hemispheric dialogues; virtual dialogues and virtual consultations.

The Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) is a nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the Organization of American States (OAS) to promote and implement programs that encourage entrepreneurship in the Americas to fight against poverty and seek better opportunities for youth.